Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-08-24
An Hard Saying.

Z n ear IL JOnn V Ob- DO lHOuBHi ih'
multitude as they listened to tn,
plain cutting. uncompromising words
uttered by the Master preacher. AnC
the result was that from that tim'
many of his disciples went back anc
walked no more with him There
we have a sad picture of human frail
ity. and of the depravity of the hear
/ preferring TO cling to sin and accept
/ the wages of sin, than to listen II
/ him who Is the resurrection and the
/ life" 1t can truly be said that mar
is wise in everything excepting IL
that which pertains to his soul:
eternal interest Wise for time but
foolish for Eternity. One of the
strange infatuatiOn of his daily con
duct, that he prefers error to truth
darkness TO light. and the chaff to
the wheat-that is in spiritual things
1t is far from being so in temporal
things, which should be of only sec
ondary consideration. When man
receives money he wants to know for
certain that it is not counterfeit
when he purchases n piece of land he
- careful to secure a good title but
when he comes to deal in spiritual
and eternal things, he seems little
concerned and is satisfied with most
anything. Now this is the worst of
recklessness. the heigth of folly.
Nothing is of more vital importance
than to be right on the subject of
religion. How often do we hear the
utterance. this Is n hard saying who
can hear it :" The language of the
worldly minded and pleasure loving
ing is ''Speakunto us smooth things
1t will not DO for a minister in the
pulpit, or an editor in his chair to
speak or write plain They must say
no hard things. Their words must
be rs smooth as oil, or they are call
ed scolders or grumblers. for these
are hard sayings, and who can hear
them ?" 1t is true they may write and
preach against the ruinOus sin of COW
etousness and the damnable sin of
pride. They may denounce formsli
ty and hypocrisy. and expose the in
famous sins of fornication and adul-
tery. but must not make any allusion
that anv of their hearers or readers
are guilty of these things. 1t will
not dot say with the prophet. Thou
art the man. If thev should IL would
be at the expense of losing patronage.
Stop my paper. Is the language
that brings the editor TO his senses.
Il may naturally be asked why peo-
pie love smooth things. and cannot
near hard sayings Because smooth
.hings are agreeable 10 their fallen !
natures. Smooth things I
viii not cruelty the flesh, which is
.arnal and at enmitv with God. There /
: no self denial All is pleasure /
md agreeable. There Is wide ,
pnge of sinful habits and practices
If our evil hearts No one has any
objection TO a religion that Will not I
stir the heart or conscious 1t suits
III classes Happy the man who can
say or write smooth things. What
! pleasant good natured. Jolly man he
s. How liberal in his views Such
IN one is fully Gbresst of the times.
He draws the popular appreciation
and garlands are spread in his path.
How the world bows and smiles to
such men Now all this is contrary
TO the commands of Jehovah. the
example of his holy prophets and
It Is also ruinous to souls. Ov-
er the popular applause of men we
hear the voice of Almighty, saving
= Son Of man / have set thee awatch-
man unto the house of Israel there
fore thou shalt hesr the word of NV
mouth and warn them from me.
Eek. 33-7l Cry aloud. spare not.
lift up thy voice like a trumpet and
show my people their transgressions
and the house of Jacob their sins. 20
(lsaIh 5S-1.l The minister clothed
with power from God should be fear
less IN delivering the messages of the
Almighty. Look at Noah, standing
up before terribly wicked people at
a time when there WAS not one right
eous man to be found, and warning
the heartless multitude of the flood /:
Moses IN the palace of Pharaoh de.
manding the release of his oppressed
brethren Elijah on Carmel building
the altar OF God John the Baptist
urging the multitude to repent, fol
the kingdom of Heaven was at hand
Peter on the day of Pentecost Pam
at Athens Luther shaking the papa,
throne Wesley preaching on his ia.
ther grave: IN short all the host O.
God fearing men in all times and il
all countries. These men of Goo
never vanished the truth to pleas,
men-had no smooth things to offe,
but flung the bare truth at the peo
pie OF their times. As If armed w1tl
the the thunderbolts from the ouive
of Almighty, they preached until mel
trembled under their words like Bel
shazzar of old. Again the power {,
please may be found anywhere, bu
the power to seize the conscience An,
bring the sinner face to face with hi
own worthlessness and condemns
ton, comes of simple faith and har
py fellowship with God. Yet no,
often do We find that most Christian
and some preachers seem to coul
the art of pleasing in preference t
the stern truths of God. 1t is tbs
which some congregations chief
value in pastor, above all he mu.
be able to please. And / would nc
be understood to urge that this pow
er or art has no value There is Il
virtue in being disagreeable. r,
pulslveness is far from being n prac,
But IN one whose chief business is I
bring souls to Christ the power I
please Is by no means prime essel
tial- To think chiefly of that ind
Gates low state of piety. 1t is
sin-not of ardent but feeble Iovefc
! Christ 1t indicates but a secopda1
: regard for Gods honor. and a sui
ardinate interest in the work of turl
ing men to him. And then is it not,
l tue root of that sensitiveness of otl
ers opinions, which makes the worl